Leak-detector for vessels



H. H". LEE.

. LEAK-DETECTOR 4FOR VESSELS1. APPLICATION FILED A'Pmzo, 1918.l

1,348,0 l 5 I Patented July 27, 1920.

Y' .5 .I l .5 wIIIIEssEsi 4 7 I INvENIoR 5 7 jf/VM Z55,

UNITED STATES PATENT'. OFFICE..`

HERMAN H. LEE,V oFVfBnooKLYN, NEW YORK.

To-aZZ 'whom t may concern; l j

Be it known that I, HERMAN H. LEE, a

. citizenof the United States, residing atl Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certa-in new. and

useful Improvements in Leak-Detectors for j Vessels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use'thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,l and to characters of reference vmarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention relates, generally, 4to improvements 1n automatic soundingwells or leak detectors for use in theholds of vessels, and in similar places; and, the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel and simply constructed apparatus, having electrical signaling or alarm devices, which automatically operate to give warning of the rise of water inthe hold of a vessel.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide a novel and simple construction of a sounding well for thevp'urposes above indicated, which is 'provided with an adjustable float mechanism adapted to'be set so as to control an electric circuit make and break mechanism when water rises within the well to a desired predetermined level, so `as to operate an alarm or warning signal.

The present invention is, therefore, particularlyadaptedfor use as a safety device for vessels of all kinds to indicate the rise of water in its hold which may enter through leaks sprung therein,'and also for indicating the effectiveness of pumps employed toeject the water from the holdby giving warning of any gain in level of the Water while the pumps are in action.

lOther objects of the present invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following 'detailed description of the same. o Y

With the various objects of the said invention-in view, the 'same consistsV primarily, in the novel automatic leak detecting device for vessels hereinafter set forth; and, fur` thermore, the invention consists in the several arrangements and combinations of the various parts, as well as in the details of the constructionof said parts, all of which will be more fully described in the following specification', and then finally embodied jLnAK-nnrncron Fon. vEssErs.

Speciflcationef Letters Patent. i Patented 1y 27, 1920. ALapplica/aimmea April 20,1918. serial No. 229,691.V f l i i in the claim Which is appended to said speciaccompanying drawings, in'which Figure l is avertical longitudinal section through the sounding welldevice, showing the upper heady with the electrical make and. ltireak devices connectedtherewith inelevaion. i I

Fig. 2 is anenlargedvertical longitudinal section through said upper head and `said electrical make and break devices.

F 3 is a horizontal cross section taken on line 3-3 in ward. l y

lSimilar characters of reference are employed in allof-the hereinabove described views to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings the refersaid F ig. 1, looking downence character 1 indicates the complete novel automatic sounding well, the same comprising a vertically disposed tubular body or shell 2 supported at its lower end by a base flange 3 to which it is suitably secured by any convenient means. Said base iange 3 is secured in a desired location within the hold upon the. vessels bottom, so that the body or shell extends vertically upward from said bottom through the interior of the hold. Said base fiange 3 is preferably hollowed out on its underside to provide a chamber 4, and is further provided with a plurality of radiating channels or ducts 5 leading from i the outer periphery of said liange to said chamber 4., That portion'v of the base flange immediately beneath the interior chamber 6 of the body or shell 2-is provided withra plurality of perforations or openings 7 affording communication between said chamber 4c and said interior chamber of the body or shell. The side walls of said body or shell 2 are also provided at its lower end adjacent to said base flange with a plurality of openings or perforations 8 yielding access to the interior chamber. 6. Inl order to prevent the'entrance of dirt and other foreign material into the interior 6 of the body orl shell 2, the eX- terior screen or mesh 9 is arranged over the outer ends ofthe openings or perforations 8,

and the interior screen or mesh lO is arranged over the inner ends of said openings f or perforations 8,'and a screen or mesh 11 is arranged within said chamber 4 of said base flange to extend over said openings or perforations 7 of the latter.

VThe krefmfelfice `c haimicter i2 indicates upper metallic head, which is adapted to. close the upper end oi' 4said shell. or .body .2,.

erably provided with exterior Iscrewsthreadsl.

15. Said head 12 and its neck 14 are provided:I with n a 1 centrally disposed verticalw opening or guideway 16.

Thel referencel characteri 17 -indicates -a suitable float, preifera'liilyolhollow metallicconstruction, ith`e `same being disposedl within theinterior chamberr 6 oiv said body or shelil 2,v so L as ytoari'se and; iall thercinrunder the in-A fluenceoii the rise: or `fall" of water entering said interior chamber 6. Connected with sa1d= float 11s an upwardly 'extending rodf or stem 118, `the -upper free -fend of whichl extendsupwardly throughsaid guideway 16:'0'1- saidV head 12:'v Arranged uponftl'ierupper lendL of said rod or. stem 18, above fsaidihead125is1 an' Y adjustable stop and contact collar 19, pro-iA vided with-af set-screw 20for--other suitable mea-ns: .for securing thefsame uponsaid stemin desired adjusted position.:

Mounted iupon the upper surfacelof4 'said head-12 is acontact-'post -21 lprovided. at fits lower-end Ywitlfi abasepiecef22,f' and at its upper end 'wi-tha forwardly projecti.ng l1ori zontal varm 123; Said contactspost 5.21;v 1s Ain#I sulated fro-mf electrical contactvv wrth said head 12 by means of an` insulating washer 24 'of some suitablenonsconductmg material;

which *isl interposed vbetween` the/same and said hea-d 12: S'ai'dcontact post 4is secured4l inposition by means of a bolt=`25`fwhicher-` tends verticallyltl'irough said head 12,`andfv which; is also insulatedl electrically from the Vlatter ibymeans of 'a sleeveor bushing 26 of 'Iheivupper-l endfV of saidfboltffisl threaded land extendsup-.-

non-conducting material.

wardly through said washer-24: and base-.-

piecel22, andi metallic fwasher =2'7 andnut= 28 are arranged alpen said end, said nut vserving yto secure lthe contact-arm A in. place, and L alsoas a-imeans tor. electrically'- connecting" with said :contact arm aconductor orfwirc' 29 leading from a suitable sourceiof. electrifcal. energy, such as the battery 30: i,

Thevmetallic head 12 providesi ani'` electrical ground,2 and is' provided-I with a: suitable bindinglpost 31,ior` other meanslffor. coml nectingj electrically '-therewithf a return conductortorfrwire which gleadsbackfto Asaid battery B9; 1 to complete an: electric f ci rcuitai Connected in*v said circuit', lby means 'of the conductor orfwire 32is an alarmnbell 33," or anyl other suitablefwarningsignal device.

A 1 cover-'cap A34 "is: proviidedgito telescope over said head` 12,' `to-inclose-the Contact devices,fthe 4same having a central openingf' through which the upper end of said stem 18 may project. Saidcovercap is further provided with a suitably disposed opening 86 throughwhich the wires 29 and 32 may be lcd.A

The apparatus operates as follows Should the vessel in which it is arranged spring a. leak the water upon entering and rising within the hold, finds access into the interior ot'saidmhamber 6 through the open ings 8, and also' through vthe channels or ducts 5 to the chamber lof the base-fia`nge13f,7 5 and thence into saidv chamber 6 'thnough the openings 7,. consequently the water Vwilli rise within said chamber Gtoralevel equalitothe level attainedI by thesame.withinthelhold then the rise-ofl avater issuicientstoreach the ioat 17, the-latter .is buoyed up,.causing tho stem 18 to rise-also whiclrcanries the -conf tact collar 19into engagementavith the arm 23 vof saidA contact-post "21, thus lclosingy the electricrcircuit, since thes'currentfwill flow 85 from the battery througlrv said-v\f-i.re29 intor saidy contactpostr andy thence into-'said 'collar and stem, whichi electrically Aengaging saidcl head112 forms -a:pa=rt 'of the ground,` and thenceA throughithe return :wirer32'to the 90 battery, passing throughthealarnrbell device with operative reifect, Aso that 'the latter issoundedvto give warningrotlthe risewof:` water in the vessels rhold Y In orderto indicatethefdepth'of' water at 95 the 'time the alarm` 'is sounded, and "also s to providea meansforadjusting'the float-1:17, sothat the same willibe operatively yengaged by the water when a'predetermined depthfisv attained in the hold,:I Sprovide'athe stem.=18 100 with a series` of: calibrations :or` graduati'ons 37, which may-indicatel feethandifractions thereof, or anyother desiredameasuningunit;

y It lwill' be clearly understood that by setting above descriptionlthat my present: invention provides a very simpleyet eifeetiwe-.and automatically operating ysafety device x for vessels, adapted; to giveample'landfsufficient 120 warningof dangerous -leaks,.and:that the same is -particularly adapted for use onives` sels `tied .up at wharvesror docks, and' under` such conditions frequently undercharge of a single watchman ory dockl man,- tofwhom 125 timely,` war-ningl of abnormal Fconditions is essential to the performance of his duties.

I am aware lthat some changes maybey madevin f the general* `arrangements `and combinations of L the Avarious l devices` andi lparts 130 oi my present invention, as well as in the details of the construction thereof,vwithout departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the foregoing specification, and as defined in the claim which is appended hereto. Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the devices and parts as described insaid specication, nor do I confine m self to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as' illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

I claim In a device of the kind described, a float, a stem extending vertically upward from said oat, guide-means for slidably supporting said stem, a combined stop and Contact collar on said stem above said guide means, a graduated scale on said stem for determining the desired adjustment of said collar thereon'for the purpose of positioning theL I in the path of upward movement of said coli lar when said float and its stem rise, an electric alarm circuit grounded on one side to said guide-means and stem and electrically connected on the other side to said contactpost.

` In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of April, 1918.

HERMAN H. LEE. Witnesses: GEORGE D. RICHARDS, MARION M.- BANTA. 

